Eye Candy
by umhi-im-Rawr
Summary: Clare wants to heat things up with Eli without going too far, so Alli gives her some advice.


"Alli!" Clare's face was mortified. Alli rolled her eyes and put down her food container, turning her body to face her friend.

"Clare, don't be such a prude!" she whined, gently shaking Clare by her shoulders. Clare shrugged Alli off. "I _just_ wanna know how far you've gone with Eli!"

"Alli, not only is that _none_ of your business, but you should _know_ the answer already," Clare answered, looking down at her container of pasta, scooping up a forkful and putting it in her mouth. She continued to ignore the texture of the sauce, a dead giveaway that it was microwaved leftovers from last night's dinner.

"Well how was I supposed to know? I mean, with K.C. I would've known you two hadn't done anything, but everything's different now." She pushed her straightened hair behind her ear, avoiding getting it caught in her massive hoop earring. Clare gave her a look, wondering what in the world she meant.

"You dress differently, you wear more makeup, you have new hair, you never wear glasses, you write dirty fanfiction, you're much more bold, you have this new dark and sexy boyfriend that gets you all flustered when he just _looks_ at you—"

"And what does this have anything to do with me having sex?" Clare asked, cutting her friend off. Alli's glossy lips twisted into a smirk.

"I didn't ask if you had sex; I asked how far you two had gone. Seems like you have sex on your mind, Saint Clare."

"Alli, that's disgusting," Clare retorted, but she couldn't hide her smile. Alli's dark brown eyes widened, and she laughed.

"You _are_ thinking about sex!" she grabbed Clare's shoulders, grinning slyly when Clare's smile widened. Alli batted her eyelashes, thick with mascara, silently begging for entrance into Clare's mind.

"Okay, I'm not like, considering having it or anything," Clare gave in, putting her food down on the table. She pushed her curly hair out of her face. "I'm positive I'm not going to do it before marriage. But I've been thinking about... what it'd be like. Just... I don't know, the closeness, and intimacy, and _heat_." She smiled and looked down, away from Alli. She tried to fight off the image in her mind of a sweaty Eli.

"Clare Edwards!" Alli exclaimed, adding a gasp for effect. Clare laughed.

"I'm sure Eli would _love_ to hear about these little fantasies," Alli teased. "Have you ever told him you've been thinking about him like that?"

"Told him?" Clare asked, her expression mortified again for a moment. "God no. He would _never_ let me live it down. That smirk of his would be stuck on his face for good."

Alli laughed and shook her head. She rested her elbow on the table.

"Well, you don't have to tell him anything, but I think you should try to get that closeness and heat, if you want it so much."

"Alli, I already told you! I'm not—"

"I'm not saying you should have sex!" Alli continued, and Clare gave her a look. Alli grinned. "Just invite him over when your parents aren't home, let him see your room, with the door closed, obviously."

Clare nodded, not sure where this was going. She let Alli continue.

"Watch a movie together... it has to be something he likes, but also something you could make out to. So if he wants to watch Nightmare on Elm Street or Saw II or something, don't let him. This has to be romantic, but not even remotely sappy. Definitely try to get him to cuddle, especially if you're watching the movie in your bed."

Clare thought about her friend's suggestion, and found that it wasn't half bad. A nice, cozy movie night with Eli, spent cuddling and _maybe_ making out on her bed? It was intimate and close, just what she wanted, without being too sexual.

"Doesn't sound so bad," Clare replied, voicing her thoughts.

"Oh, and wear something sexy. Not like too sexy, since you don't want him to think you're trying to seduce him, but make sure your clothes are tight. Oh, and definitely wear a low-cut shirt. Something that makes your boobs look big."

"Alli!" Again, mortified.

"Fine, don't take my advice. But don't call me in tears because right when you went in for that special kiss on your bed, Eli turned away—" Alli whipped her head in the other direction for dramatic effect. "Because he wasn't in the mood. You couldn't get him in the mood, with your shirt buttoned all the way up to your neck, not a single molecule of cleavage showing, absolutely no—"

"I get it, Alli," Clare shut her friend up, giving her a look. Alli smiled, and the bell rang. Clare put the lid on her food container as the two girls stood up.

"All I'm saying is that Eli is a guy. Guys like eye-candy. Maybe you should give him some... you might like his reaction."

Alli walked off to her next class and Clare rolled her eyes, grinning. As ridiculous as she should have thought Alli's advice was, she couldn't help but think that she might be right.

The doorbell startled Clare out of her thoughts, and she jumped. She took one last look at her reflection, making sure her hair was perfect and her makeup wasn't smudged at all. She bit her lip and thought for a moment. _It couldn't hurt..._ she decided, and she pushed her boobs up, pulling her dress down a little. She took a deep breath when she saw how much cleavage she was showing.

"Just a little eye-candy," she muttered, getting up and dashing out of her bathroom, descending down the stairs to get the door.

Maybe she was imagining it, but she could've sworn Eli's gaze dropped below her face for a moment when she opened the door.

"Hey," Eli said, smiling. Clare smiled back, loving the way little wrinkles formed by his eyes when he smiled like that.

"Hey," she answered back, not sure what else to say, and she stepped out of the way to give him room to come in. She shut and locked the door behind him.

"So, did you bring a movie?" Clare asked, smoothing out her black dress, trying too late to avoid the awkward silence. She looked back up and Eli, and this time she was sure she saw his eyes dart from her chest to her face. Alli was right.

"Yup," Eli said, holding up the DVD case. "Not too scary, just like you asked."

Clare looked at the case.

"Watchmen?"

"Not as good as the comics," Eli said, shrugging, "but still good. You might like it."

"Okay," Clare said, smiling, trying to make things less awkward, but she didn't succeed. Eli half-smiled back, his mouth lopsided as usual. "So, um, did you want to watch the movie now?"

"Sure," Eli replied, handing Clare the DVD case. Clare was about to walk over to the DVD player when Eli gently grabbed her arms.

"Hey," he said softly, and she looked at his face, noticing the concern in his green eyes. He smiled. "You seem kinda on edge. Is everything okay?"

Clare smiled, loving the way Eli cared about her. She decided to take advantage of the moment, putting her arms on Eli's shoulders, connecting her hands behind his neck. She pulled him in for a slow, light kiss.

"Everything's fine," she replied cheerfully when the kiss ended. Eli smiled, and once more his eyes drifted lower. Clare, deciding to leave Eli wanting more, let go and started towards the DVD player.

"Is popcorn okay?" She turned just in time to see Eli smirking, looking at her up and down.

The movie seemed pretty good so far, but that might have been because Clare wasn't completely paying attention. Her main focus of the night was heating things up a little with Eli, and so far she was succeeding in keeping him interested.

She had decided against watching the movie in her room, mainly because it would have given her away immediately (why would she suggest watching a movie on a tiny portable DVD player in her room when there's a giant TV in the living room?) and she didn't want to go too fast. The couch was working pretty well, though; Eli had Clare close, his arm around her, a bowl of buttered popcorn sharing their laps. When she first brought the popcorn into the room, she made sure to lean forward when she handed Eli the bowl. She didn't miss the way his eyebrows rose for a brief moment, or the fact that he tried to hide it.

Aside from that, Clare tried every subtle gesture she could think of to turn Eli on. She leaned her head on his shoulder, she adjusted her position on the couch so that her chest was touching his body, she let her leg touch his, and every once in a while she nudged his bare foot with hers. She knew it was working because as she stared at the TV, pretending to be interested in the movie, she noticed him grinning at her from the corner of her eye.

Clare's hand grazed Eli's as they both reached for a handful of popcorn at the same time, and she wanted to burst out laughing at how cliché it was. Eli smirked, and Clare moved her hand, letting him take the popcorn. Instead of reaching for more popcorn, Clare gently placed her hand on Eli's thigh. He looked at her hand, but his expression wasn't smug or weirded out. He looked surprised, but far from displeased.

Clare took that as a green light to go farther. She ran her hand up Eli's leg, stopping right before she got to his crotch. She rested her hand there for half a second before moving the popcorn bowl onto the coffee table, swinging her leg over Eli's legs and straddling him. He looked up at her, his eyebrows raised, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as his eyes drifted down and then back up to her face.

Clare put her hands on Eli's shoulders and leaned forward for a kiss, heating it up immediately. She caressed and sucked on her boyfriend's lips, and he put his hands on her hips, pulling her body closer and trying to be in control, but Clare wouldn't have it. Her lips battled his, and soon their tongues joined the war.

Eli was nearing victory when Clare ended the kiss, pulling away and grinning at Eli. She bit her lip, and he blinked at her curiously.

"Do you wanna... continue this in my room?" Clare offered, biting her lip. Eli's eyebrows shot up, so Clare hastily added: "just to kiss." She wiggled her finger with the purity ring on it for emphasis. Eli smirked.

"Lead the way," he agreed, the crooked smirk still on his face. Clare climbed off of him and grabbed his hand, leading him across the room, up the stairs, and to the first open door in the hallway. She led him in, kicked the door shut, and brought him over to the bed. She pushed him down, once so that he was sitting on the bed, and a second time so that he was on his back. He adjusted his position so that he was propped up against her pillows, and Clare was on him immediately.

Clare couldn't help but feel a little dirty, but there was something about the way Eli held her, one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her thigh, that made it seem okay. Even as he was sucking on her lips, his hand creeping slowly up her thigh until it was under the fabric of her dress, she could tell he wasn't only after pleasure. His motives were the same as hers: he wanted closeness, intimacy, and heat. Not sex.

"I need to come over for movie nights more often," Eli said, the smirk back on his face when the two stopped kissing. Clare smirked back, sitting up on Eli's stomach.

"What makes you think we'll do this every time I invite you over?" Clare challenged. "Maybe this is just a special treat."

Eli smiled, putting one hand behind his head and the other one on Clare's thigh. He ran his hand down, rubbed her knee, then back up to the middle of her thigh.

"Sure is," he said, rubbing her knee again. He looked genuinely happy. Clare's stomach did a cartwheel.

"You look..." Eli stopped, furrowing his brow in confusion for a moment. He seemed to be finding the right word.

"Good?" Clare suggested. "Happy? Weirded out? Like an elephant?"

Eli smiled at the last one.

"Sexy," he said finally. He squeezed Clare's knee, and she jumped. "I like it. Of course I think you're adorable and beautiful all the time, but I don't get to see this... edgy Clare too often.

Clare beamed, and Eli rubbed her smooth legs and looked up at her, a soft, loving expression in his green eyes.

Clare was taken by surprise when Eli suddenly sat up, grabbing her by the legs and tipping her onto her back. She screamed playfully as Eli pounced on her, attacking her neck and cheek with kisses before planting one on her lips. She giggled, grabbing his hair.

Eli stopped kissing Clare suddenly, and she opened her eyes, confused. He was looking away and had a puzzled look on his face.

"Is something wrong?" Clare asked, worried and disappointed. Crap! She must've done something wrong, or gone too far, or not gone far enough, or reminded him too much of Julia, or pulled his hair too hard, or—

"Do you hear that?" Eli said, and he sat up. He bounced on the bed a little. "Or feel that?"

Clare sat up as well, sitting still for a moment to figure out what Eli was talking about.

"Is that my phone?" Eli asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his iPhone. He looked at the screen, confused, before putting it back. Clare finally figured out what he was talking about: vibrations. The color drained from her face.

"Is your phone on the bed?" Eli asked. Clare desperately hoped he couldn't read her expression.

"Oh... oh, um, yeah, I guess it must be!" she answered, laughing nervously. Crap, that must've given her away. Eli's eyes drifted over to the dresser across the room, where Clare's phone lay. Of course.

"I guess not," Eli thought out loud, and he bounced on the bed once more. _Oh, please no..._ Clare thought, biting her lip.

"It feels like it's coming from under the mattress." _Crap!_ Eli climbed off the bed, taking Clare by the hand and leading her off. _Whatever you do, Eli, do _not_ lift up the mattress…_

"Do you have like a back-scratcher or something under here?" he asked, genuinely confused, as he pulled up the mattress. Clare knew her face was turning beet red, and she shut her eyes tightly, begging for the moment to pass slowly and painlessly.

The room grew quiet other than the sound of the vibrating, and Clare knew Eli had found its source. She heard the vibrating grow louder and the mattress being put back down. She cautiously opened one eye, followed by the other once she realized Eli wasn't smirking like she thought.

Instead, he looked shocked, though still slightly amused, Clare's purple vibrator in one hand and her black, lacy push-up bra in the other.

Both Clare and Eli were silent for a moment, Clare half-smiling guiltily and Eli giving her a confused, curious look. He hit the off switch on the vibrator.

"Are you even... allowed to have this?" Eli asked slowly, smirking once he finished the question. Clare could tell he was getting a hell of a kick out of the whole situation. Her cheeks were still pink.

"I can... explain... um..." Clare pushed her hair out of her face, looking down at the floor nervously. "Well solo sex is perfectly normal, and I didn't go out and buy the vibrator or anything, Alli found it and I didn't know what it was at first and... and um... the bra was just for me to help my confidence and..."

"Solo sex, eh?" Eli interrupted Clare's word-vomiting, and Clare looked up to see possibly the single most smug expression ever to exist on a person's face.

Eli took a closer look at the vibrator, turning it on for a moment and then back off. "Are you thinking about me when you use this thing?" Eli asked, glancing at Clare, then looking back at the plastic in his hand. "Because I can tell you right now, I don't have a purple—"

"Eli!" Clare blushed a fiery red, grabbing the vibrator from Eli's hand. She tried to take the bra from him as well, but he held it high above her head and out of her reach. He laughed when she jumped up and tried to grab it.

"Nah, I don't think I should let you have this," he teased, jumping to the side when she lunged at him. She tried to grab it again and he ran to the other side of the room, Clare following close behind.

"I think I'll keep it, it's kinda sexy. It'll look good hanging from Morty's rear-view mirror." Clare almost grabbed the bra, but Eli narrowly evaded the attack, the smile on his face wide and menacing.

"But if you have it, how am I supposed to wear it for you?" Clare questioned, raising her eyebrows at Eli.

"Touché," he replied, smirking, and he handed her the bra. She snatched it from him and immediately returned both items to their original hiding spot. Once her shame had been hidden, Clare sat on the edge of her bed. Eli joined her.

"You know, Edwards," Eli began, putting his arm around Clare. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "You are one weird girl."

Clare closed her eyes and her smile widened.

"So are you."

"Which makes us perfect for each other," Eli replied, and even though her eyes were closed, Clare could tell he was smiling. He kissed the top of her head, and she felt a warmth in her stomach.

"I don't know," Clare replied, teasing. "You might be a little _too_ weird for me, Eli."

"Cute, Clare."

"I know I am."

"No, I mean, you meant to say cute. I'm a little too _cute_ for you."

"I know I am, but what are you?"

"I'm not going to argue with that."

"But you so would."

"Oh? And what does that mean?"

"Shut up, you know you love to argue."

"You know what I love more than arguing?"

"Me?"

"Chocolate. But you know what I love more than chocolate?"

"Vanilla?"

"Nah, you."

"Aw, really? Same here. But maybe not as much as chocolate."

"Ouch!"

"And speaking of chocolate..."

"Yeah?"

"It was Alli's idea for me to show this much cleavage."

"Was it?"

"Yeah. She called it eye-candy."

"I'll have to thank her."

"Pervert."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."


End file.
